How do I fend off recruitment by the local Baptists?

[GDC71]

Last year we moved to a new town in the middle of the school year and our children did not get into the local Catholic grade school because it was to full. We found a wonderful Christian (Baptist) school and our children did really well there. We tried again to enroll them in the Catholic school at the start of this year, but there was room for only one of our three children, so we left our kids in the Baptist school because it is such a great environment.

Recently we started being asked to attend the Baptist church services (in a very kind way) and become more a part of their church community; they are very welcoming and interested in our family. We still attend Mass at the local parish, but have not really felt as welcome as at our previous Catholic parish (or even as the local Baptist church). I am struggling with how best to assure my children are part of a strong church community. What is the best way to become more involved in the local Catholic church, so I am not tempted to join the Baptist church?

 

[Michelle_Arnold]

There are several things that need to be done here.

1. You need to kindly, yet firmly, tell those at your children’s school who are trying to recruit your family to attend their church that you and your family are not interested in attending the Baptist church. They need to be aware that your children are there to attend school, and that your family is not interested in becoming Baptist. If this is not respected, you may need to consider pulling your children out of the school and looking at the possibility of homeschooling, a secular private school, or a good public school. In any case, sending your children to this school, where proselytism is part of the modus operandi of the administration, should definitely be considered a stop-gap measure until you are able to find a more satisfactory long-term alternative.

2. You need to let the pastor of the local parish know that Catholic families who are being turned away from the parish school and sending their children to the Baptist school as a Christian alternative are being proselytized away from their Catholic faith. As a short-term measure, he should consider appealing to the school to respect the faith of its Catholic students. As a long-term measure, he should look into expanding the parish school so that more parish families can be accommodated.

3. You also should let the pastor know that the parish might want to consider stepping up its efforts to welcome new families to the parish. A parish “welcome wagon” could be organized to help families transition into the parish and become involved with parish activities. Since you have experience the need for such a service, perhaps you might volunteer to help set it up.

4. Finally, I recommend that you and your family make a family resolution in this new year to buckle down and study your Catholic faith. The best way to fend off recruitment by other religious traditions is to study your own faith, know why you are Catholic, and prepare yourself to be confident in your Catholic faith. If you know why you are Catholic, you are less likely to be tempted to be anything else.